Numbers 31: Lessons from God’s Judgment of the Midianites

God’s Judgment of Sin1

Introduction: “There is an appointed time for everything.” (Ecc. 3:1). God does not always try to make us feel warm and fuzzy. Sometimes, He wants you to feel uncomfortable. Here, 12,000 Jews burned Midianite villages. The Jews killed all the men, and they took captive the woman, children, and property. At Moses’ direction, the leaders then killed some captured women and boys, while sparing the virgin girls. God wants you to feel horrified at this story. It foreshadows what He will be forced to do on a global scale during the Day of Judgment. Moses felt pain in judging the Midianites. He married a Midianite, and they gave him shelter for 40 years in the wilderness after he fled Egypt. His actions foreshadow the pain God will feel in judging the very peoples that He created. Moses represented the Law. Under the Law, God must also judge sin. But He tells us these things to motivate us to act. You can help prevent judgment on the people you love by telling them about Jesus and urging them to accept Him as their Lord and Savior.

1. A Just God Must Judge Sin, and His Judgment Comes First Upon His House.

2. After Judgment Comes Upon God’s House, Everyone Else Will Face Judgment. Nu. 31:1-8.

God’s Judgment on the Midianites2

3. Christians are Sometimes Called to Be the Instruments of God’s Judgment of the Wicked. Nu, 31:9-18.

4. Christians Must Be Purified After Their Spiritual Battles. Nu. 31:19-24.

5. Spiritual Rewards Await Those Who Battle for the Lord. Nu. 31:25-54.

6. The Destruction of the Midianites Foreshadows the Day of Judgment.

Phinehas executes God’s judgment upon Midian3

7. Aggressively Root out Sin like Moses and Phinehas.